Global Change and Mountains: Consequences, Responses and Opportunities - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 109

which are intensifi ed by the increasing urbanization, growing demands
for water, and altered precipitation and stream-fl ow patterns driven by
climate change.
In the Himalaya, with the growth of population and infrastructure,
particularly increasing road connectivity, the region has experienced rapid
urban growth during the recent past. The fast expansion of road linkages
has facilitated the rapid urbanization, emergence and growth of rural
service centres and increased access to markets. This is clearly indicated
by fast growing urban population in the newly created Himalayan state of
Uttarakhand in India where the urban population increased from 16.36%
of the total in 1971 to 20.7% in 1981, 22.97% in 1991, and 25.59 in 2001. As
per Census of India (2001), the state registered 56.38% growth of urban
population during 1971-1981, however, decadal urban population growth
declined slightly during 1981-1991 (42.20%) and 1991-2001 (32.81%).
Nevertheless, growth of the urban population in Uttarakhand during
1971-1981 and 1981-1991 was much higher than the national decadal growth
of urban population in India (46.39 and 36.24% respectively). Moreover,
there is a regional shift from traditional crop farming and animal husbandry
system to village-based production of fruits, vegetables, fl owers and milk
for sale both in the nearby and far-off urban markets, in the villages situated
in the infl uence zone of urban centres and market places, and along and
near roads. This has a large impact on the traditional resource development
process and land-use pattern.
The rapid growth of urban settlements in the high Himalayan
Mountains, particularly in tectonically alive and ecologically fragile Lesser
Himalayan ranges has been resulting in the depletion and destruction of
nature as well as increased incidence and severity of natural risks, such
as, slope failures, disruption of natural drainage and water pollution,
degradation of forests, etc. within the urban ecosystems as well as in their
surrounding areas. More recently, comparatively less accessible areas of the
region are also being affected by process of fast urbanization mainly owing
to the extension of road network, development of horticulture, gradual shift
from primary resource development practices to secondary and tertiary
sectors, and the growth of domestic tourism through the publicity and
marketing of new tourist sites. Consequently, there has been tremendous
increase in size, area, number and complexity of urban settlements in the
region resulting in the expansion of urban land use (i.e., expansion of urban
land use in surrounding agricultural zone, forests and rural environments)
in urban fringe areas as well as intensity of land use (i.e., increase in the
density of covered area, density of building, density of population, increase
in the height of buildings, increase in the volume of traffi c on roads and
increase in the consumption of energy and water, etc.) within the towns
(Tiwari and Joshi 2011, Tiwari 2008, 2007).